Florida Atlantic soaring to the top of Conference USA

Florida Atlantic is off to its best 16-game start in program history and Dusty May has the Owls positioned as C-USA front-runners.

The buzzer sounded. Fans rushed the court. ‘All I Do is Win’ blasted through the arena.

Florida Atlantic had beaten UAB.

Yes, that UAB. The same UAB who went dancing last year, who was picked to win the league again this year, who returned four starters including reigning Player of the Year Jordan Walker.

Five years ago, a win of this magnitude seemed like a dream. Now? It’s the new reality in Boca Raton.

“We’ve come so far,” said head coach Dusty May. “This isn’t just a flash in the pan, it’s been the culmination of a lot of hard work, a lot of hours put in.”

Five years ago, Florida Atlantic made a decision that changed the trajectory of their basketball program — they hired May. The former Indiana manager had spent the three years prior on Mike White’s staff at Florida, helping the Gators earn back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2017. May also made stops at Louisiana Tech, Murray State and UAB. He knows a winning culture, and he’s brought it with him to the ‘Boro.

Now, May has led Florida Atlantic to five straight winning seasons, an unprecedented feat in Owls basketball history.

“The first couple years, it felt like we had to push and push,” May said. “This group, they’re self-motivated and that’s become the culture. They’re in here in the mornings, at nights.”

The Owls followed up their win over UAB with wins over Charlotte and on the road this week against a gritty FIU squad. They’ve beaten North Texas, Florida, NKU and Detroit Mercy. They’ve won 14 straight games, the nation’s second-longest win streak.

And, for the first time in school history, the Owls are receiving votes in the AP Poll. The nation is starting to take notice.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello crowned May his ‘Coach of the Week’ after the UAB win, saying “[The Owls] might be the best true mid-major in the country.”

John Fanta, writer for Fox College Basketball and Oracle of the Big East, said on Twitter that May has “built one of the best stories in America.”

What makes Florida Atlantic such a tough team to beat?

The Owls are taking the nation by storm, and while everyone wants to root for the ‘underdog’ (FAU was picked fifth in the C-USA Preseason poll), Florida Atlantic isn’t just a feel-good story; they’ve proven they’re here for the long-haul.

FAU’s offense has been impressive, averaging just shy of 80.0 points per game. But against North Texas, a team notorious for turning games into defensive rock fights, the Owls leaned on their defense. They held UNT to just nine second-half makes in the 50-46 win.

Against UAB, it was all about offense. The Owls exploded for 47-second half points to sneak past the Blazers, 88-86, thanks to Johnell Davis’s 36 points.

“We don’t have a lot of holes in our roster,” May said on ‘Inside the Owls Burrow’ this week. “We can play bigger, we can play smaller. We’re pretty well-equipped to play fast or get deep in our bench.”

That versatility is what has separated Florida Atlantic from the pack. FAU leads the country in bench scoring, getting 44 points in their win over FIU Wednesday night. Their ball movement is phenomenal, assisting on 54 percent of their field goals made. They’re deep, too. Five players average 9.0 points per game or more, with four averaging north of 10.0.

Perhaps what’s most impressive — the Owls are doing this with just one senior on its roster.

Davis, Nick Boyd and Alijah Martin have been some of the Owls’ heavy hitters, combining for 38 percent of FAU’s points scored. Martin leads the way in scoring and assists, while Davis shoots over 40 percent from distance. And yes, all three are underclassmen. Talk about staying power.

“If the portal doesn’t get us, we have a real chance to have some continuity, some stability year after year,” May said. “That’s how you build a great program.”

At 5-0 in conference, the Owls find themselves atop the C-USA standings. If they beat North Texas again on Saturday (2:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+), they’ll only strengthen their grip on the league, and their grip on the rest of college basketball fans.

Not bad for a program that hadn’t finished above .500 for almost a decade until May arrived.

Winning in Paradise, indeed.